Kabocha:
Harvest

1st kabocha harvest 18th
September 2005

Corking of the peduncle
indicates the best time to harvest

The flower scar is a further
guide to ripeness

Kabocha cut through the
centre

In 2005 we grew 3 varieties:
'HK' (olive-skinned), 'KK' (dark green)
and 'DB' (dark green and the largest). Weight of a freshly
harvested fruit varied between 1.4kg
and 3.4kg with most weighing between 2 and 3kg. The peduncle must be
left
on the fruit to prevent ingress of rot or pests during storage. After a
week of curing
at 20 to 25 degrees celsius to harden the skin and increase
sweetness, we would expect the weight to have dropped by up to 3%.
Kabocha can then be stored for two to
three months with neglible loss of quality and nutritional value.